DELMARVA - Today feels much more like spring across Delmarva as temperatures surge into the mid to upper 70s for much of the peninsula, while the beaches stay a little cooler in the upper 60s. Partly cloudy skies will be in place through the day, but it will turn breezy at times with southwest wind gusts reaching up to 35 mph.
Mid to upper 70s inland, cooler at the beaches under partly cloudy skies, winds out of the southwest gusting to 35 mph.
Tonight stays unusually mild for late March, with temperatures holding in the mid to upper 60s just after midnight before gradually slipping toward morning. Low pressure passing north of the region will drag a cold front into Delmarva by Friday, setting the stage for a wetter and cooler end to the workweek.
Scattered showers develop Friday morning and persist into the evening, chilly raw conditions develop.
Showers are expected to develop by late Friday morning, with scattered rain continuing through the afternoon and evening as the front slows and becomes nearly stationary over the peninsula for much of the day. Rainfall totals will generally range from 0.30 to 0.75 inches, although a few locally higher amounts are possible.
Expected rainfall between 0.30" to 0.75" with some locally higher amounts into Friday evening.
Temperatures on Friday will move in the opposite direction from what many expect, falling through the day as colder air pours in behind the front. Morning readings in the low to mid 60s will give way to afternoon temperatures dropping into the upper 40s to low 50s for many communities, with most spots spending much of the day in the mid to upper 50s. Raw day to say the least.
The weekend begins on a much different note. Saturday will feature mostly sunny skies, but it will be a chilly start to the weekend with afternoon highs only reaching the upper 40s.
That cool stretch will not last long. High pressure settles in for dry and quiet weather through the weekend before sliding offshore on Sunday. Winds will turn back around, helping temperatures recover into the mid to upper 50s by Sunday as readings return closer to seasonal levels.
Looking ahead, Delmarva shifts into a milder and more unsettled pattern beginning as early as Monday night. Warm southerly to southwesterly flow will push temperatures above normal through the early and middle part of next week. At the same time, several frontal systems are expected to pass nearby, bringing multiple opportunities for rain from late Monday into the middle of the week.
At this point, no one system appears especially strong, but periods of rain will be possible off and on next week. Despite the unsettled setup, the warming trend looks impressive, with temperatures potentially pushing close to 80 degrees by Wednesday and Thursday across parts of Delmarva.